Reviews

They Called Us Enemy, by George Takei

cadeunderbooks's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful informative sad medium-paced

4.0

qme5's review against another edition

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emotional informative reflective fast-paced

3.5

krissyronan's review against another edition

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4.0

Fascinating look into Takei’s history in a dark part of American history: the imprisonment of Japanese Americans during WWII.

divineannie's review against another edition

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challenging dark informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

misterjt's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring sad medium-paced

5.0

cassieliegh97's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative inspiring fast-paced

5.0

michaelyuen's review against another edition

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5.0

I'm rating this 5 stars because of the content, its importance, and the accessible format. I would consider it essential reading, for anyone but especially Americans. It's a shameful moment in our history, which is all the more reason we must face it to learn from and fight to not repeat.

This book is a memoir of sorts. George Takei's personal experience as a child whose Japanese-American family was forced into internment camps during World War II. It's horrific, and yet juxtaposed by being told as a graphic novel which I believe carries a more friendly look and feel. I'm still wondering if it's meant to encroach onto children's book territory. But is that dumb because the content is so heavy? Regardless, it's very accessible and easily read in a single sitting.

Also, I got this book for free from the New York Public Library as part of a "Banned Books" program they did. I suppose that implies that somewhere someone tried to or did ban this book? WHAT?!? Crazy to me, but this is a mad world. And this is essential reading.

caylieratzlaff's review against another edition

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4.0

Important reading on the legacy of Japanese Internment.

vegspringroll's review against another edition

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emotional informative reflective fast-paced

4.0

madelinefmcguire's review against another edition

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5.0

George Takei revisits his traumatic childhood in American concentration camps as one of the 120,000 Japanese Americans who were imprisoned by the U.S. government during World War II. Takei takes you through his time in the camps both with his childhood perspective and the what he learned from his Father and others as he grew up.

This was outstanding, the story being told in the format of a graphic novel made it a quick read but did not diminish the power and importance of the story. This book does an amazing job showing the situation through the eyes of a child, but with with information from an adult perspective that brings sense and facts to the story. This is a good one to recommend to those with an interest in history they might not have known, those who like graphic novels, or those who love George Takei.